Students read literary and
informational texts to understand how positive thinking, slowing down to
think clearly, problem solving, and constant vigilance support survival in
the face of grave danger and overwhelming odds. Students express their
understanding of characters in literature by analyzing the struggle of man
versus nature and the life lessons we can learn from others’ survival
situations.

Standards:

Reading Literature:

RL.6.2: Determine a theme or central idea
of a text and how it is conveyed through particular details; provide a
summary of the text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

RL.6.3: Describe how a particular story’s or
drama’s plot unfolds in a series of episodes as well as how the characters
respond or change as the plot moves towards a resolution.

RL.6.4:Determine the meaning
of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and
connotative meanings; analyze the impact of a specific word choice on meaning
and tone.

RL.6.5:Analyze how a
particular sentence, chapter, scene, or stanza fits into the overall
structure of a text and contributes to the development of the theme, setting,
or plot.

RL.6.6: Explain how an author develops the
point of view of the narrator or speaker in a text.

Reading Informational Texts:

RI.6.2: Determine a central ideal of a text
and how is it conveyed through particular detail; provide a summary of the
text distinct from personal opinions or judgments.

RI.6.6: Determine an author’s point of view
or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

Writing:

W.6.1:Write arguments to
support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.

a.
Introduce claim(s) and organize the reasons and evidence clearly.

b. Support
claim(s) with clear reasons and relevant evidence, using credible sources and
demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.

c. Use
words, phrases, and clauses to clarify the relationships among claim(s) and
reasons.

d.
Establish and maintain a formal style.

e. Provide
a concluding statement or section that follows from the argument presented.

W.6.2: Write informative/explanatory texts
to examine a topic and convey ideas, concepts, and information through the
selection, organization, and analysis of relevant content.

W.6.9:Draw relevant evidence
from grade-appropriate literary or informational texts to support analysis,
reflection, and research.

Speaking and Listening:

SL.6.1: Engage effectively in a range of
collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with
diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, issues, building on others’ ideas
and expressing their own clearly.

a.Come
to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly
draw on that preparation by referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue
to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.

b.Follow
rules for collegial discussion, set specific goals and deadlines, and define
individual roles as needed.

c.Pose
and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by making
comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under discussion.

d.Review
the key ideas expressed and demonstrate understanding of multiple
perspectives through reflection and paraphrasing.

SL.6.4: Present claims and findings,
sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and
details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact,
adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

Language:

L.6.1: Demonstrate command of the
conventions of standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking.

a.Ensure
that pronouns are in the proper case (subjunctive, objective, possessive)

b.Use
intensive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves).

c.Recognize
and correct inappropriate shifts in pronoun number and person.

e.Recognize
variation from standard English in their own and others’ writing and
speaking, and identify and use strategies to improve expression in
conventional language.

L.6.2: Demonstrate command of the conventions
of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

a.Use
punctuation (commas, parentheses, dashes) to set off
nonrestrictive/parenthetical elements.

b.Spell
correctly.

The
following standards are embedded in all units:

RL. /RI.6.1 Cite relevant
textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well
as inferences drawn from the text.

RL.6.10
By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories,
dramas, and poems, in the grades 6–8 text complexity band proficiently, with
scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

RI.6.10 By the end of the year, read and
comprehend literary nonfiction in the grades 6–8 text complexity band
proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.

W.6.4 Produce clear
and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

W.6.5 With some
guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as
needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a different
approach.

W.6.6 Produce and publish grade-appropriate writing using
technology, either independently or in collaborating with others.

W.6.10 Write routinely over extended time
frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames
(a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes,
and audiences.

L.6.4
Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and
phrases based on grade 6 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range
of strategies.

a. Use context (e.g., the overall
meaning of a sentence or paragraph; a word’s position or function in a
sentence) as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase.

b. Use common, grade-appropriate
Greek or Latin affixes and roots as clues to the meaning of a word (e.g., audience,
auditory, audible).

c. Consult reference materials
(e.g., dictionaries, glossaries, thesauruses), both print and digital, to
find the pronunciation of a word or determine or clarify its precise meaning
or its part of speech.

d. Verify the
preliminary determination of the meaning of a word or phrase (e.g., by
checking the inferred meaning in context or in a dictionary).

L.6.6 Acquire and use accurately
grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases;
gather vocabulary knowledge when considering a word or phrase important to
comprehension or expression.

Enduring
Understandings:

·A person’s character is revealed
during difficult times, as well as good times.

·Bravery is the ability to do
something you fear even though you are afraid at the time.

Essential
Questions:

·Does
Hatchet have instructional value as a survival guide?

·What life
lessons can we learn by reading other people’s stories of survival?